Reunion
by Saoirse7
Summary: My interpretation of what happened after the credits rolled. Rated T just to be safe.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1: Reunion**

Evan Taylor wasn't so busy directing that he couldn't hear the music swirling around him. It ebbed and flowed, just like his rhapsody, and he delighted in it. The music was what would lead him to his parents, after all. Suddenly, the music built and intensified, creating a myriad of new noises, as though laughter and love met and composed a tune. Curiosity got the better of him, and he turned slowly, unsure of what he would see. There, in the front of the audience, was a beautiful woman in a white dress, beaming at him and holding the hand of a man—the same man he had met in the park earlier today! What had his name been? Louis? And then it dawned on him. They had been led here by the music! Could they be—? Were they—? Evan knew in his heart that it was so. They were the ones who had given him the music. His parents! He lifted his eyes and hands to the sky and grinned.

As soon as the concert was over, Evan scrambled down off of the platform and into the arms of the beautiful woman. She hugged him hard, tears streaming down her cheeks. "I found you!" she exclaimed. Evan couldn't believe this was actually happening. Maybe it was just a dream, like all of his other dreams about his parents. Well, even if it was, it was the best dream he'd ever had, and he was going to make the most of it.

Louis stood back and watched Lyla embrace August, apparently overjoyed to see him. What he didn't understand was why the kid was so special. Yeah, he had talent and all, but what was the connection here? Maybe Lyla had helped teach him. Yeah, that made sense. August had mentioned that he had gone to Julliard, and so had Lyla, right? Snatches of their conversation floated over to him. "I finally found you!" he heard Lyla exclaim, and the boy grinned. "And I found you, too. I knew the music would lead me to you eventually." _Found him? What is that about? And music leading him? This was getting crazy._ "I'm so sorry that I ever had to give you up. I've always wanted you, Evan." _Wait, what? Give him up—?_

Suddenly, Lyla seemed to remember that he was there. She stood and gently led him closer to where August was. "Louis, this is Evan." _Evan? He said his name was—_ "He's my son." She was beaming, tears still glistening on her cheeks and in her eyes. Louis had no reason to doubt her. The woman at the apartment had said she was on her honeymoon, right? A sick feeling swept over him. Honeymoon. Son. Not his. His brain refused to form coherent sentences as he reeled from the shock of it. He forced a smile as she turned again to talk to the boy, but white spots danced in front of his eyes, and he found himself struggling to take a breath. Of course not. She didn't belong to him. And while this boy was a little old to be from her recent marriage, that fact only left more unanswered questions. His mind spun with them. If not her husband, then who? The father could be anyone. After all, she had given in to him…. He shoved the thoughts that threatened to poison him back down deep inside. All that mattered now was that he had found her, right? There had to be a reason for that. The fact that she would never belong to him would not rear its ugly head on this night of all nights. But still, he needed to get out of here before her husband showed up. Her husband— The mere thought of it again hit him like a physical blow in the gut. Turning, Louis began to walk away when a touch from Lyla again stopped him.

Lyla had turned happily from talking to Evan—her son—to gaze at Louis, when she noticed that Louis didn't look so good. In fact, he looked terrible, a myriad of emotions playing across his handsome features and a green tint to his skin. She laid her hand on his arm. "Louis, what's wrong?" He had been staring off at something, so he jerked his head back around to see her. "Uh, something's wrong?" Lyla could tell that he was trying to hide something, and was in the process of trying to decipher what it could be when she saw his gaze flick to Evan and back to her again, almost nervously. It was only for the briefest second, but that was all it took. All of a sudden, understanding dawned. He didn't know about Evan. Of course! There was no way he could have. He probably thought— No wonder he looked hurt, disappointed, lost, and ill, all at the same time! She giggled, then tried to break the news gently. "Louis, he's _our_ son."

For the second time that night, this strong, tough rock star felt like he was going to pass out, or at least burst into tears. _Our_ son. Lyla had said "_our_ son." That meant the child was his. The realization and shock washed over him, and only a quick grab to the rail surrounding the platform saved him from a humiliating seat on the ground.

No wonder the kid was good. Both of his parents were musicians! And that incident in the park, they were composing a symphony together, joined by an unseen bond that neither one of them had even known existed! The talent that Louis had seen earlier, it had been passed down to Evan from him. He couldn't wrap his mind around the facts. It was impossible, wasn't it? One look at Lyla and he knew it was true. And the music had led them together. Although it sounded crazy at first, Louis remembered how it was the music that had brought he and Lyla together that fateful night, ten years ago. He grinned at the boy.

Somewhere in the fog, a man stepped up and introduced himself as Richard Jeffries. He asked if he was then Evan's father, and Louis, still reeling from the revelation himself, nodded dumbly.

"I'm the social worker involved in Evan's case," Mr. Jeffries told the man standing by Lyla and Evan.

"Louis Connelly," Louis managed out, shaking the social worker's hand.

"I'm pleased to meet you, Mr. Connelly. I must say that this has been a very strange case, although I am certainly glad that you all found each other. Now, of course, there will need to be various court proceedings to establish that you two are his parents and legal guardians, but I don't think that will be an issue." He smiled down at the little family. "In the meantime, Evan can stay with Miss Novacek, although you obviously can see him at any time." He said a few more congratulatory comments, handed Louis his card, then excused himself.

Louis was dying to have a few moments alone with Lyla, to know where he stood with her. Her reaction when she saw him was better than he had hoped, but there were still more questions than answers milling about in his brain. But with Evan here, that was going to be difficult. All of a sudden, as though some unspoken prayer had been answered, the boy was called away to help the Julliard crew clean up. Louis watched in amazement as he ran off, surprised that his wish had been granted so soon.

As soon as Evan was gone, Louis slipped his arm around Lyla and drew her close. "I've been looking for you, too," he murmured into her hair. He loved the way she still melted against him, drawing from his strength and infusing him, as well. Maybe there was hope, after all.

"If I'd even known where to look for you, I would've looked for you, too," she whispered.

The thought crossed Louis' mind that if she had come with him that day he'd waited for her at the arch, like they'd planned, they wouldn't have had to look for each other, but he pushed it away. They needed to build some form of a relationship before the past was dredged up. But still, they had a lot to catch up on.

Lyla pulled back a little and went to sit on a nearby park bench. He joined her. "Tell me, Louis, what happened to you after that day?"

"I, uh, kept playing with me band, but after a while it just, uh, didn't seem like the right thing for me. I went back to school to be an accountant, and that's what I've been doing the past few years, in San Francisco."

"An accountant, huh? I can't picture you behind a desk, papers everywhere, due dates looming." She giggled at the thought. "You're more of a free spirit." Noting his clothing, she smiled. "So, are you going to go back and play with your band now, then? Since you're back in New York?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe." He grinned at her, and the smile that she returned made his heart do flip-flops. If only she knew how beautiful she was, if only he had the words to tell her— "I played with them tonight for the first time in ten years. It was amazing." Thinking about his band and their concert tonight reminded him of the song he had wrote for her. Would she think it was petty? He decided to plunge ahead despite his doubts. "I, uh, I sang a song tonight that I wrote a long time ago. Would you like to hear it?" She nodded, smiling. Taking a deep breath to calm his nerves, and desperately wishing he had his guitar, he started in, "When the one thing you're looking for is nowhere to be found, and you're back stepping all of your moves, trying to figure it out…" He watched her as he sang, gauging her reaction. When he'd finished, he smiled at her. "Did you like it?"

"Oh, yes!" Lyla exclaimed. "It was beautiful, in a haunting sort of way."

"I wrote it for you," Louis whispered, looking meaningfully into her eyes.

Her look of surprise and delight made it all worth it. "For me?" she breathed, tears brimming. He nodded. "Ohhh, it's beautiful…"

Louis could feel himself falling more and more in love with this woman, and it wasn't something he could stop, even if he'd wanted to. It was like they were made for each other. He felt himself sway forward, about to kiss her.

However, right before their lips met, Lyla broke the connection. "Louis, I—I don't know if—" She couldn't finish, but he caught her drift. She wasn't ready for a relationship. She wasn't ready for him. It was as he thought before. There was someone else. She might have responded to him earlier, but there was nothing long-term. The remembrance of what the woman said about her marriage hit him again, and he drew in a quick breath, bracing himself against the pain.

"There's someone else, isn't there?" he asked through his teeth, fighting strong emotions.

Lyla pulled back and looked into his face, eyes wide. "Someone else?" She had never been able to get over Louis enough to date anyone else. The concept was unthinkable. But she knew that she'd hurt him by breaking the connection. It was written all over his expression. However, she just couldn't move that fast. After all, they'd met one day and been separated by external forces the next. Literally. Then they hadn't seen each other for eleven years. It would take a little time to move into a relationship, but Lyla was definitely willing to pursue one.

Suddenly, she realized that he was still waiting for an answer. He was actually asking! He really wondered! She almost laughed out loud, but settled with a large grin. "No, Louis, there isn't anyone else. There couldn't be anyone else."

His heart caught as she flashed him another smile, but even more so with her next words. _"Couldn't be anyone else"? Did she mean that?_ He said the first thing that came to mind. "What about your husband?"

Lyla's eyebrows shot up. _Husband? What kind of information has he been getting?_ "Uh, husband?"

The young man nodded dumbly. "The woman at your apartment said that you were on your honeymoon."

_On my honeymoon?_ Lyla pondered for a moment. _What woman would give away false infor— Ah, Mrs. Myers. She always did confuse me with Lizzy._ She couldn't hold back a chuckle, but thought grimly of the damage that could have been done if she and Louis hadn't met. "Louis, that was Mrs. Meyers. My best friend, Lizzy, just got married, and the woman always did mix us up. There is no husband."

Louis drew in a sharp breath. No husband? All the hope that had crumbled earlier began to rematerialize. But what did this mean for them? He slipped his hand back into hers, unsure of how to express what he wanted to tell her. "Lyla, I-I'm sorry things worked out the way they did. But I, uh, don't want to keep searching for you, wondering what you're doing right at that moment. Especially after we've met again, after all these years. It—it would be torture." Looking deep into her eyes, he willed her to understand. "Let's start over. Fresh. New. Not picking up past hurts and past dreams, but finding out the future together."

"Together?" Lyla repeated in barely a whisper.

"Yes," the young man grinned broadly. "Together."

**Did you enjoy it? Please review to let me know what you thought!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: The Meeting**

"Hey, sport, how's it going?" Louis tousled his son's brown hair and grinned. How he loved the mere thought of that. His son. Marshall and the other guys in the band hadn't been too keen on Louis' idea of actually getting married and settling down, but he figured they could get over it. After all, it was his life, and Lyla was the only one he'd ever loved anyway.

Ah, Lyla. Just thinking about her made his heart skip into double time and his face twist into a silly grin.

"Doing good, Dad. Are you thinking about Mom again?"

"Huh? Oh, yeah. Yeah, I am." _Our son is so perceptive_,Louis mused. He was constantly amazed by how the boy was mature for his age and incredible at reading people. Forcing his mind back on the conversation at hand, he grinned down at Evan again. "What do you say we go out to get some ice cream, huh? While we wait for Mom to show up?"

"Yeah!" Evan cheered.

After calling Lyla to let her know where they would be, and while waiting in line for their cone, Louis let his mind wander to the beautiful engagement ring he was going to buy for Lyla. Today she and Evan were going to go meet Marshall and the rest of the guys, and, to be quite honest, Louis was nervous about how they'd react. It had only been a week and a half since the concert in Central Park and reuniting with Lyla, and the guys were anxious to meet "this amazing woman of whom he spoke so highly," as Nick had put it yesterday. The question was: was he ready?

His train of thought was broken into by noticing a black Mercedes ease into the parking lot. Lyla was here. His heart thudded into an irregular beat and he couldn't hold back the smile as she walked into the little shop with her usual grace. Man, she was beautiful.

Crossing the shop, he took her into his arms and gave her a light kiss on the cheek. They were in public, after all.

"Mom!" Evan exclaimed, his face breaking into a large grin as he ran to give her a hug.

Lyla laughed. "You act like you haven't seen me for days! You just saw me yesterday!"

The boy laughed back. "Yeah, but that was _yesterday_!"

_It feels good to laugh_, Lyla thought. _It's been such a long time since I was truly happy. Now I get to be happy every day as I spend the rest of my life with the man and child I love._ In following this, she sent a broad grin in Louis' direction. He had been watching her during the entire exchange with Evan, and promptly grinned back.

"What do you say we head out to the hotel to meet the guys?" he asked, his eyes still glued on Lyla. A brief emotion flickered across her face, but he didn't have time enough to read it. Shoving doubts aside, he gave each of his small family a silly face. "Well?"

"I'm ready," Evan smiled, slipping his hand in his father's.

"Let's do it," Lyla replied, following Evan's move and slipping her hand into Louis' free one.

Once they were in the car, Louis turned to his love with a questioning look. "Are you sure you want to meet them? They're crazy, I tell ya. I—"

Lyla stopped him with a touch and a smile. "Yes, I'm sure. They are your family, after all. And your family is my family. One of these days you and Evan will have to meet my father, and that will be an experience all in itself." She grimaced, but it was again so brief that Louis almost thought that he had imagined it. Turning back to face him with a smile, she cleared her throat. "Well? Shall we? You're behind the wheel, hon."

Louis gave a short breathy laugh. "Yeah, I suppose I am. I guess I should get this baby going and get to the hotel before we die of old age, huh?"

"That would be nice, yes," Lyla chuckled.

And with that, he whirled out into early afternoon New York city traffic.

After parking in front of the Holiday Inn the other band members were staying at, the trio headed inside, where the rest of the band was milling about in the lobby. Marshall was the first to notice them. "Hey, Louis! Good to see ya! How ya doing, baby bro?" Louis smiled in return, but Lyla could tell that he was as nervous about this rendezvous as she was.

"Pretty good, bro. Gather in the guys and you can meet my princess." He flashed a grin at Lyla.

"Hey, guys, Louis here's got his girl!" Marshall called, and immediately all attention was on the two of them and Evan a little bit behind.

Louis gave a short wave, then took Lyla by the arm. "Well, guys, this is Lyla." He gave her a silly grin, and she returned with a beautiful smile. All of a sudden he remembered that he had someone else to introduce, and was glad that he had remembered sooner than later. "Oh, and this is me boy, Evan," he said as he gently pulled the boy to the front.

"Hey, Lyla!" "Hey, Evan!" A chorus of voices sounded, then started chiming in with their own names, each one raising his hand or coming up to shake Lyla's when he introduced himself. "I'm Nick." "Steve. Good to meet ya both." "You know me, I'm Marshall." "Yeah, I'm Alex." The names came in a blur, and Lyla could only barely remember which name went with which man. But they were all smiling and congratulating Louis, and she vaguely remembered nodding and shaking hands as necessary.

They all sat down, talking at once. Louis was easily pulled into their conversation, but Lyla felt a little out of place and unsure of what to do or say. All of a sudden, Louis noticed her discomfort.

"This is a bit overwhelming for ya, huh?"

Lyla smiled shyly. "Yeah, a little bit. Although I can see how you're right at home here."

He gave her a sidewise grin. "What all is that supposed to mean?"

She laughed. "You know. It's not an insult."

"I should hope not."

Then he turned to the guys, who had continued whatever conversation they were having without him. "Hey, how 'bout we consider our company and talk about something a little more civil?"

A few of the men laughed, while one or two of them glanced at Lyla and looked sheepish. "Yeah, of course. Sorry 'bout that."

She was then forcibly drawn into the conversation as the men plied her with questions about her version of how she and Louis met and were reunited, what she had been doing in the meantime, and a dozen other questions.

It didn't take long for the group to become fast friends, and Lyla was reminded of Louis constantly in the mannerisms and phrases of the others, especially those of Marshall. She laughed to herself. Yes, Louis and his brother were probably more alike than they'd want to admit.

By the end of the night, Lyla felt like she had been among family, long lost family that were related in some way but no one was quite sure how. As she and Louis drove back to her apartment to drop her and Evan off, she couldn't help but smile and reflect back on the night; however, her reflections were filled with some foreboding because she knew that now that she had met Louis' "family," now he and Evan would need to meet her father, the man who had torn them apart. As she had mentioned earlier, that would be an experience all of itself.

One week later, the time finally came for that meeting to take place. Thomas Novacek had been in the hospital recovering from a heart attack, and, fearing that he would die before he told Lyla that her son had actually survived the birth and been adopted without her consent, called her quickly to the hospital and broke the news. Since that time, of course, Lyla had managed to find Evan and be reunited with Louis, and Mr. Novacek had pulled out of his near-death scare and was going through therapy as an outpatient at the nearby hospital.

As they drove over to the opulent home in the wealthier part of New York, the car was unnaturally quiet as each person was lost in his or her own thoughts. Lyla frequently wiped her sweating palms on her dress pants; her more formal attire was a far cry from the jeans and t-shirt that Louis had insisted she wear when she met his "family" and fellow band members.

Louis, who was driving as Lyla directed him, glanced over at her drawn face. "You gonna be alright?"

She sucked in a quick breath. "Sorry?"

The young man chuckled. "I asked if you were gonna make it. We can still turn around if you'd like."

Lyla shook her head decisively. "No. No, I can do this. _We_ can do this." She flashed a wan smile his direction, and he grinned again.

"Your confidence isn't exactly catchy, lady."

This time Lyla laughed outright, although it was still more of nervous laughter than anything. "I'm sorry. I don't mean to be so nervous. I wasn't this nervous meeting the guys; I don't know why I'm so nervous now."

"Because it's your father we're meeting," Louis broke in quietly, and in that one phrase spoke the apprehension both were feeling, and they gave each other a quiet nod.

After what seemed like an eternity, he finally pulled up in front of the large, fancy house that Lyla had once called home. The young woman wiped her palms once more in the car, then stepped out cautiously, straightening her clothes to make sure that everything was perfect. She needed to make a good impression. Taking a quick glance of her surroundings, she noted that Louis and Evan were right behind her, and together they walked up to the entryway.

"Dad? Are you here?" Lyla creaked the door open and called inside.

"I'm over here, honey. In the living room," came a voice from that direction.

Lyla took a deep breath and refused the temptation to run.

"I, uh, well—Louis, Evan, and I are here. I wanted you to meet them."

"Of course. Come on in."

_I would have anyway_, Lyla thought with a grimace. Sometimes she thought she would never understand her father. But he was still her dad, and Louis needed to meet her family and Evan needed to meet his grandfather. Well, not necessarily needed, but it would probably be best in the situation. She stole a glance at her son and immediately her heart filled with pride. Evan knew all about what had happened when he was born, yet he forgave his grandfather and still was eager to meet him. _You only find people like that few and far between_, Lyla mused.

Taking one last deep breath, she led her little family into the living room.

Two hours later, Lyla sat perched on the end of the sofa, while Louis and her father carryed on a lively conversation about what each thought on the New York Stock Exchange and the new mayor that had been elected, whether or not he would be better than the last one. She stifled a giggle. Who knew Louis, that tough rock star, was so interested in politics and the stock exchange? Just as quickly, though, she remembered his stint in accounting, and mused whether or not that had been a blessing after all. At the very least it had given him and her father some desperately needed common ground.

A quick glance at Evan told her that he was bored out of his gourd but too polite to say so. Lyla suppressed another giggle. Hopefully it wouldn't be this way every time they visited. She snuck a look at her watch, surprised to see that it was barely lunch time. There had to be a way to get out of here, and she decided to latch onto the easiest and most logical route.

Clearing her throat, she flashed a grin in the direction of the conversation her men were having. "Anyone else hungry?" she asked as cheerfully as she possibly could.

The very mention of food brought their discussion to a rapid halt. Everything about Louis' face said that he was hungry and the remembrance made the feeling worse. Lyla's father looked like he wasn't too hungry, but would eat because everyone else was. And of course Evan brightened up at the first mention of food. _I tell ya_, Lyla mused. _That boy is always hungry_. How she loved her little family.

"Why don't we go out to eat together?" Thomas Novacek spoke up. "I know a great place just down the street."

Louis shrugged and glanced at Lyla. "Sounds good to me."

Lyla laid a hand on her father's arm. "I love that idea. Let's go!"

As they drove toward their destination, the young woman reflected back on the past couple of hours. She was infinitely thankful that Louis and her father had gotten on well. That was the main thing she was worried about. And Evan, well, he could get along with just about anyone he chose to. They probably would go home shortly after lunch, because spending the afternoon with her father in the living room didn't sound half as exciting as spending the evening with Louis' band buddies in a hotel lobby. But that was the main difference between her family and his. Hers was formal, reserved, and while rather well off, never seemed to know the true meaning of riches. Louis' "family," on the other hand, through all their casualness and joking, had a laidback sort of bond that one could never put into words. She liked that. It never felt as stiff and formal as spending time with her father did.

But she was still glad that he had been able to meet her love and precious son. After all, he would be seeing a lot of them in the future.

Ah, the future. She stole a glance at Louis, who was also sitting in the backseat along with her and Evan, and she found that he was watching her with that look of his, so full of love and promise. Flashing him a grin, she watched with pleasure as a half smile spread over his face. "I love you," she mouthed, not wanting to interrupt her father's monologue about the scenery.

"I love you, too," he mouthed back.

She reached a hand out to grasp his, and they stayed like that all the way to the restaurant. The way they would stay for the rest of their lives.

**So...I hope you enjoyed this! I would love to hear what you think about it! Reviews make me very happy!**


End file.
